Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Render unto Caesar...

"Dr." Kent Hovind is probably the most ridiculous person that ever walked the Earth. He's certainly my favorite young Earth creationist. And he just plead not guilty to the tax evasion charges filed against him. However, he entered this plea "under duress."

Hovind, who calls himself "Dr. Dino," owns Dinosaur Adventure Land at 5800 N. Palafox St., Pensacola, a creationist theme park dedicated to debunking evolution. For years, he has claimed that he is employed by God and has no income or property because everything he owns belongs to God. He believes man and dinosaurs inhabited the earth together and has offered a $250,000 reward to anyone who can offer him satisfactory proof of evolution.Hovind's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Kafahni Nkrumah, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Miles Davis at a hearing Monday that his client did not want to enter a plea because he does not believe the United States, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Attorney's Office "have jurisdiction in this matter."When pressed by Davis to enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty, Hovind said he wished to enter a plea of "subornation of false muster."

And why don't the IRS and the U.S. Attorney's Office have jurisdiction?

Because Hovind lives, "in the church of Jesus Christ, which is located all over the world. I have no residence" and "he is employed by God and has no income or property because everything he owns belongs to God." So that would mean that if, say, some government agents wanted to go to Hovind's house, that would be fine because it's actually God's house, right?

In a 2002 lawsuit, Hovind complained that he feared "Gestapo actions of the Internal Revenue Service agents against him." He posted a "special notice to local, state and federal government agents, employees and inspectors" saying they could not come on his property without "prior written consent."

I'm just confused now. Is it his property or God's property. What I am sure of is that this trial is going to be hilarious. The guy has more money than God (or is it God's money?) and he's going with the public defender and entering pleas like "subornation of false muster."